4.0L V6 VVT Oil Control Valves
 

Hey everyone!

I'm replacing my VVT Oil Control Valves on my 2007 SR5. I have a few questions.

I can't justify paying the dealership $700 to replace these simple valves, so I got the Toyota part numbers and I will be doing it myself:

RH - TO 15330-0P010
LH - TO 15340-0P010

If I buy these OCV's from somewhere other than Toyota, what is a reputable replacement brand? I searched around for replacements and there are several brands ranging in price from $50 to $79 (ish). Toyota parts are $165 or so each. Normally I would buy factory Toyota parts, but if the aftermarkets are comparable, I would like to hear about it. That's a huge difference in price.

Also, it appears there is a part number for a filter. Do the OCV's come with this filter typically or is this a separate in-line filter of some kind? If I get this too, Toyota or is after-market acceptable?

And last, I would probably know the answer to the above question if I could find a good document that covers how to replace these. I have the factory service manual that shows the procedure for testing them, but not the actual replacement of the OCV's.

If there is a post on this somewhere, I apologize, but wasn't finding much.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks everyone!
Scott

I replaced one of mine with a Gates from RockAuto. It's worked fine for the last 5,000 or so miles. I don't recall anything about a filter though.

Replacement shouldn't be too difficult if you know where they are. They are in the V of the cylinder heads towards the front of the engine. Right behind the thermostat housing/water outlet setup. You'll need to take off the air cleaner assembly and the intake air surge tank. I don't think the intake manifold needs to come off, but you'll see when you get that far.

Both are held in by one screw and the electrical connector. They can be a pain in the ass to pull out. When you put the new one in make sure you lube it up with oil so it goes in easier. The tab for the screw should tell you when it's fully seated. Hope this helps.

Yes! Thank you! I appreciate the input. That is helpful.

Out of curiosity, what motivated you to change it? What were the indications for your situation?

I was replacing the headgaskets and when it came time to pull these valves out I broke the connector on one of them. So don't do that haha. It was working fine before that.

I think I've only seen one person on here have to replace theirs. I think most of the time you get a P0016 or P0018 fault code for cam/crank not being synced, but it usually means the timing chain is stretched.

Are you having similar issues or did the vvt sensors actually fail? I'm assuming you know for sure since a shop looked at it.

I replaced just the one I broke with a cheap one from rockauto. The car still runs just fine. Being that it's so easy to get to them, I personally wouldn't replace both unless they broke.
Get the OEM waterpump gasket though. 3 layer metal.. Lesson learned here.

I got the driver side one for $95 at my local dealer, close to wholesale price.

What compels the replacement in your case? If it's P0016, don't bother. Remove the 4-bolt timing cover and compare the #1 chain tensioner plunger extended length vs. pics here, it's an easy way to assess chain stretch.

I haven't had this on my 4runner but replaced oil solenoids on my RX300.

My symptom was CEL codes that corresponded to the solenoid/valve for bank 1 as well as a mis-fire on 1-3-5. I only replaced both with ones off Amazon - Dorman at ~$45. I did both since they were only $45/ea and I was in there already. I also replaced the O2 sensors since I had those codes as well and read that without O2 sensors working correctly, the timing could be off by the computer so no sense changing solenoid without the O2 replaced as well. I also replaced one camshaft position sensor - again based on a code (I had it all!!)

In the case of the RX (which I imagine is like the 4runner since it is also toyota), the filter was a metal mesh screen behind a plug nut by the solenoid/valve that is easily cleaned with some brake cleaner or WD40 - as long as the mesh or the plastic it is attached to isn't damaged, you can re-use the filter. If you didn't know it was there, it would be easy to overlook because it is inside the orifice (unless it comes out attached to the plug nut - mine did not, it's just a loose press fit to the plug nut). You can use a needle nose plier to grab it - it's not hard to pull, it's just a small hole to get something out of. I've read that a clogged filter can even kick the CEL code so you might check that first if easy to get to on the 4 runner - it was easy on the RX300.

Do a quick search for oil control valves on YouTube and you can get some good info.

D'OH! Well, I guess you have to replace it at that point, huh? HA! Well, with regards to needing to replace them, I'm getting the usual P0016 code, and figured at 200K miles, I shouldn't be at the limit of the timing chain, but maybe I am??

Well, indeed I'm getting the P0016 code. I figured there was no way at only 200K the timing chain should be at the end of it's life, but maybe that's a bad assumption. Tell me more, please!

Thank you! And good to know about the little filter!

So maybe I need to consider looking at other potential issues, then. The P0016 definitely points to the VVT area, as you all know, but I was thinking this timing chain was good to upwards of 300K. Is that not the case? It runs just fine, no misfires or anything like that. No odd noises. Everything seems fine. If I didn't know better, I would swear the dealer planted a "virus" in there so it would throw codes so I would have to pay them money to diagnose the problem. Since the P0016 points to basic timing and OCV's, I honestly made the assumption that the timing chain has lots of life left... but maybe this is where I should stop myself.

Definitely want to hear more input. If the the P0016 statistically ends up being timing chain and not OCV's, then I better change my plan.

Also, I hate to admit, life is crazy over here and I push the limits on oil changes a little further than I should. So I was thinking maybe OCV's would be a side-effect of poor maintenance habits. Yes, I know that's bad, but I do the best I can in my situation.

Yours is a 2007 model, they seem to have a pattern of timing chain elongation from what I found while researching mine.

Some reading:

Timing chain stretch: '07 4Runner

P0016: chain stretch, cam sensor, crank sensor, OCV filters, OCV valve | Tacoma World

Okay! Thank you! I will look into this further. That's a big help. Definitely changes my plans...

And WOW! 25-30K oil change intervals???!!! HOLY CRAP! I was feeling bad about the occasional 7-8K interval!

EDIT: Timing chain swap looks pretty in-depth. Is the dealer really asking $3500 for this job?? YIKES!

Dormans are fine. The filters do not come with them, and you should replace them. They are located behind a bold at the bottom front of the cylinder head. The passenger filter is easy to replace. The driver's requires lowering the alternator.

-Episode 5- Replacing a stretched timing chain on a Toyota 4.0L V6 - P0016
YouTube

Just in case you want to start at Episode 1;

-Episode 1- Cam/Crank Timing Code P0016 Case Study - What is a P0016?
YouTube

Thanks Supersonic!

Question about those videos...

He achieves a diagnosis without the Toyota recommended disassembly. Will Toyota also do it the way this guys does it or will they only follow what their manual says about removing valve/cam covers and the 2+ hours of work involved?

The diagnosis videos were a HUGE eye opener and definitely changes my course of action.

Love this place! So much knowledge!